Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow for Nintendo DS Reviews by Gamers

Keep in mind: If this were a GameBoy Advanced game, the score would be 9, perhaps 10. But when you plug it to a gimmick system, and the gimmick is poor, then you've lost.

Step one: Visuals.
If you've never played a Castlevania game before, this is how Castlevania looks. It's cryptic, and smart. Details given, where detail is needed.

The enemies move flawlessly, and I encountered not one half second of slowdown throughout the game! Nothing too fancy though. They're keeping to the swing of things.

Step two: Sound!
The sound is dated! Oh no! It's ok though... Where the SFX lacks, the music picks up. With a different tune for every part of the castle, it will keep you focused, and ready to lay some vampire butt to bed.

The Weapon's SFX are mundane, and caught up. Don't expect anything fantastic on this front.

Step three: Game play?
Heck yeah, game play! This is Action RPG at it's finest. A quick battle system, a strong status menu, and a darn good equipment screen, this game shines as the King of DS.

There are a plethora of weapons, and armor, so you menu addicts will have fun there. The battles will keep you on your toes, and some bosses will push your quickness and cunning. (Until you figure out a pattern. Then it's downhill city.)

Step four: Control...
Nice. Basic Castlevania controls. But, due to a lacking DS D-pad, the game may seem sloppy at some points. (Especially for those of you will big thumbs.)

Step five: Replay!!
After you tackle the main story, (Which has 4 endings), you'll get new game +, and a new character to use. You'll be tired of Soma by now, anyway!

Conclusion: Get it. Beat it. Return it.

Thank god for renting.

I have to admit, I am a big castlevania fan, so consider that when you read this review. But even if you haven't played one of the 2-D masterpieces, this is a great one to start out on.
Visually the game is beautiful. From the many huge bosses to the breath of the hero in the snowy woods, this game has a great visual style most gamers can appreciate.
Game play stays true to the series with light RPG bits,(weapon and armor stats, hit point, leveling up, etc.) but the meat of the game play is in exploration and combat.
While it doesn't use the touch screen as much as some would like, I would rather Konami focused on making a great game rather than stuffing Castlevania with a bunch of meaningless filler, and that's exactly what they did.
Bottom line, easily the most value for the dollar when it comes to spending money on DS games.
Whether you want to collect every enemy soul,(very cool, by the way.) trying to uncover every inch of the huge map, or just trying to finish the game, there's a ton of stuff to keep you happily playing your DS.